Large families have one problem: It is difficult to get them in a photo together. When the youngest is born, the oldest ones are already flying out. Every day is a “well-organised chaos” in which everybody tries to help as much as possible. By Viktorija Slavinska-Kostigova Māris and Baiba Ozoli and their 11 children enjoy it to have the European Large Family of 2023 title. ELFAC since 2015 presents an award to a large family whose life and activity are exemplary and showcase societal values. The Ozoli think large families must be visible in society. They think the media should spend ..read more

Portugal is the country in the European Union (EU) with the highest proportion of families with only one child, according to PORDATA. By theportugalnews.com “It is, in fact, a country of only children”, highlighted the same source, noting that only 27% of families have children and, among these, almost two-thirds have only one child. In the European Union, large families (with at least three children) represent 13% of families with children, “double the proportion in Portugal (6%)”, according to the same source. Single-parent families increased by 22% and the number of people living alone ..read more

Interview with Magdalena Archacka (PhD), mother and Dean of the Pedagogy Department at the Academy of Humanities and Economics in Łódź, conducted by Krystyna Romanowska. By holistic.news Misconceptions about Large Families: Size and Vice Krystyna Romanowska: From how many children do we talk about “large families”? Magdalena Archacka: Before World War II, a large family meant having at least six children. Today, a family is considered large starting from three children upwards, according to programs targeting so-called large families. There is no clear definition or single standard for what co ..read more

We presented the publication “Demography and competitiveness in the European Union”, which presents the correlation between demographic trends and competitiveness in 13 chapters. By koppmariaintezet.hu At the joint event of KINCS and Oeconomus, dr. Ágnes Hornung greeted the guests, who pointed out Europe’s significant demographic challenges. The State Secretary responsible for Families of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM) emphasized: not enough children being born will lead to the end of our culture. The nations of Europe are disappearing, and with them, our common values ..read more

By KRFD Mönchengladbach, 13 July 2024. Dr. Elisabeth Müller, the chairwoman of the Association of Large Families in Germany, is cautious about the renewed increase in child benefit, the immediate child supplement and the child allowance from 2025: “Even if there is another increase and child benefit has increased in recent years, I cannot be satisfied with it.” Inflation continues to have an impact on families’ wallets. Families with three or more children are particularly feeling the effects of price increases. The disposable household income is much lower in families with many children. Ofte ..read more

By Obitelji 3plus On the occasion of International Family Day, we are bringing you an inspiring interview with the Jarnjak couple from a small town near Varaždin in Croatia. Katarina is a valuable member of Board of directors of Croatian large family association Obitelji 3plus.   Obitelji 3plus: Tell us something about yourselves   Mario: We are family Jarnjak. There are seven of us. We have been married for 10 and a half years. We have five children. My wife has a master’s degree in social pedagogy, and I have a master’s degree in animal sciences. We built our nest in a small t ..read more

By Obitelji 3plus On Saturday, June 1, 2024, the Croatian association of families with three or more children, Obitelji 3plus, held “Family games without boundaries” and a picnic in Varaždin in the Old town. About twenty families gathered, it was great fun. Such events are a great joy for children, but also for parents who enjoy the laughter and joy of their children, getting to know and connecting with other families, and joint participation in sports games, which they often do not have the opportunity to do. Families bond in a special way when they have a challenge in front of them that they ..read more

By Timothy P. Carney The average-sized household in Fairfax County, Virginia, has 2 or 3 people — 2.71 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. My household in Fairfax County has eight people — plus two dogs. Fairfax has a confusing system for residential trash collection, but if your home is serviced by the county, you get one big trash bin from the county. Here’s the crucial detail: The county will only haul off the trash you put in that single bin. In Montgomery County, Maryland, we would regularly set out multiple bins of trash, and the waste contractor would take it all. In ..read more

By Vincenzo Bassi As the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union approaches, Europe must address the continent’s most pressing and existential crisis: the demographic winter. Recent data from Population Europe starkly reveal the alarming trend of plummeting birth rates across Europe. This is not just a statistical anomaly, but a clarion call for immediate and concerted action. The Hungarian presidency’s inclusion of demography in its priorities is commendable, yet the challenge must be addressed across all policy areas. The latest figures paint a sobering picture. E ..read more

By msn.com COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden launched a groundbreaking new law on Monday that allows grandparents to step in and get paid parental leave while taking care of their grandchildren for up to three months of a child’s first year. The development comes after the Swedish parliament, the 349-seat Riksdag, approved last December the government’s proposal on transfer of parental allowance. This comes 50 years after the Scandinavian country became the first in the world to introduce paid parental leave for fathers and not just mothers. Under the law, parents can transfer some o ..read more